CTH Q and Hillside Road Intersection Public Information Meeting July 31, 2019
Introduction and Meeting Purpose • Provide Information to the public • Solicit Comments • Washington County Project • Funding CTH Q and Hillside Road Intersection
History and Past Improvements Safety improvements were made in the area of the intersection in the fall of 2015 that included: • Double “intersection ahead” signs being installed with proper spacing and flags attached • Stop bar being painted on southbound Hillside Road. • Re-alignment of southbound Hillside Road painting • Previously, twin stop signs with reflective strips were placed on southbound Hillside Road and “cross traffic does not stop” signs installed • Washington County radar trailer used to monitor speeds • Vegetation trimmed near the intersection • Intersection Sight Distances are above minimums • Stopping sight distance are above minimums CTH Q and Hillside Road Intersection
Intersection Safety Analysis • Included in the 2017-2019 Washington County Strategic Priorities • Began the data collection in 2018 • Presented to the Public Works Committee in 2018 and 2019. • Approved by the County Board in March of 2019 as “Traffic Safety Analysis Plan” • Encompassed 472 intersection CTH Q and Hillside Road Intersection
Intersection Safety Analysis A Crash Diagram was completed by SEWRPC which depicts the crash date, location, and type of crash CTH Q and Hillside Road Intersection
Intersection Safety Analysis A tabular listing of the crashes was also created by SEWRPC that included additional data on the crashes CTH Q and Hillside Road Intersection
Intersection Safety Analysis 2018 had 7 crashes CTH Q and Hillside Road Intersection
Intersection Safety Analysis Conclusions for CTH Q and Hillside Road intersection: • Inexpensive options are no longer effective. • Washington County reached out to SEWRPC engineers and DOT safety engineers for recommendations. • Decision was made to hire a consultant to review the data, obtain additional data, and provide a recommendation on possible improvements. • Traffic Analysis and Design Incorporated (TADI) selected for further review of the intersection. CTH Q and Hillside Road Intersection
Safety and Operational Analysis Traffic Count and movements completed in February and March of 2019 Crash Data compiled 2013-2017 for County report, 2014-2018 for TADI report Options: • Two way stop controlled with left turn lanes on CTH Q (2019 LOS D, 2029 LOS D) • Four way stop controlled (2019 LOS F, 2029 LOS F) • Traffic signal control with left turn lanes on CTH Q (2019 LOS B, 2029 LOS B) • Roundabout (2019 LOS A, 2029 LOS A) CTH Q and Hillside Road Intersection
TADI report conclusions The all-way stop control option does not provide acceptable operations for Year 2019 or Year 2029 despite the all- way stop control warrants being met by the crash frequency criterion. Traffic signals are not warranted under Year 2019 or Year 2029 traffic volumes. Therefore, the two-way stop control with modified geometrics and the roundabout options are viable alternatives for this intersection. While modifying the two-way stop control with left-turn lanes could improve the safety of the intersection for left-turning vehicles, it does little to better accommodate vehicles trying to cross or turn onto CTH Q from Hillside Road. Therefore, the overall crash reduction resulting from a geometric modification of the two-way stop control is expected to be minimal. A single lane modern roundabout, however, would be expected to address the severe angle crashes observed at this intersection. WisDOT currently reports a 50 percent reduction in injury and fatal crashes when two-way stop control intersections are converted to modern roundabouts. WisDOT reports an expected increase in property damage only crashes of 16 percent, but the benefit/cost of reducing severe crashes substantially outweighs the addition of property damage only crashes. Therefore, a single lane roundabout is recommended as the best option to improve traffic safety. CTH Q and Hillside Road Intersection
Conceptual Roundabout CTH Q and Hillside Road Intersection
Roundabouts – Ruekert & Mielke Inc. Roundabouts can have major advantages over a traditional stop sign or signal-controlled intersection. These benefits include an increase in driver safety, a more efficient traffic flow, a more aesthetically pleasing intersection, lower construction and maintenance costs, and a positive environmental impact. SAFETY FIRST The greatest benefit of roundabout implementation is the increase in motorist safety. Reasons for this advantage include: • Drivers are approaching the intersection at a reduced speed and typically drive slower around a curve. • Drivers aren’t speeding up to beat a yellow traffic light. • The geometry of roundabouts prevents the possibility for T-bone or head-on collisions, which are the most fatal. • Fewer turning directions results in fewer potential contact points between vehicles and pedestrians. CTH Q and Hillside Road Intersection
Roundabouts - Ruekert & Mielke, Inc. Studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Federal Highway Administration have shown that roundabouts typically achieve: • 37% reduction in overall collisions • 75% reduction in injury collisions • 90% reduction in fatality collisions • 40% reduction in pedestrian collisions Washington State DOT reports replacing traditional traffic signals and 4-way stops with roundabouts resulted in the following environmental benefits: • 32% reduction of carbon monoxide emissions • 34% reduction in nitrous oxide emissions • 37% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions • 42% reduction in hydrocarbon emissions Nevada DOT that without the necessary start and stop used at traditional intersections, vehicles use up to 30% less gasoline as traffic moves more efficiently through roundabouts. At 10 intersections studied in Virginia, this savings amounted to more than 200,000 gallons of fuel per year. CTH Q and Hillside Road Intersection
Project Schedule • Public Information Meeting July 31, 2019 • Solicit comments until August 8, 2019 • Submit for HSIP grant funding by August 15, 2019 • Hope to hear back on application by end of 2019 (Facebook posting) • If approved, construction in 2021 or 2022 or 2023 • Next Public Information Meeting roughly 12-18 months prior to construction CTH Q and Hillside Road Intersection
Questions? Scott M. Schmidt Washington County Highway Commissioner 900 Lang Street West Bend, WI 53090 262-335-4435 scott.schmidt@co.washington.wi.us Comments due August 8, 2019 CTH Q and Hillside Road Intersection
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